Throw Away
by boswifedeb
Summary: While getting on the job experience as a firefighter, Matt becomes involved in a case that leads him on a search to find the dope dealer responsible for the deaths of two teens, while the darker side of life in three dysfunctional families leads him to doubt his own effect on the world around him. **Immediately follows "The King's Escape"**Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Throw Away**

"_**Death cancels everything but truth."  
Latin Proverb  
**_

**CHAPTER 1**

11:15PM

"Hello?"

"11:30 behind Tillman's Garage. Make sure you've got the money…all of it."

He looked down at the cellphone as the call ended, then hoisted a backpack onto his shoulder before trudging down the street. For almost three years he had been selling crack and meth, and in that time he had never been short when he turned over the money – until last week. It had only been twenty bucks but the way they acted it might as well have been a thousand.

As he turned at the corner of the drycleaners and started for the alley the knot in his stomach grew tighter. The money wasn't short this time but his sales were down. They weren't going to be happy. Turning left when he reached the alley, the fourteen year old couldn't shake the bad feeling and the thought of turning around and going home came to mind but home wasn't much better. His mother was the very reason that he had left home and started selling three years before. No, home wasn't an option, but a bus ticket out of town was going to be the next thing he did after the meet. The light behind Tillman's Garage flickered just like it always did and he looked up at it for a few seconds as he neared the rusted out Buick, the place where they always met. The next thing he saw was a board as it arced toward his mid-section, landing with a thud and driving him to his knees.

12:02AM

"So how do you like it?" Captain Frank Withers raised his voice and turned to look at one of the men sitting in the back of Engine 16's cab, the wail of the siren and honking horn almost drowning out the sound of his voice. The reply was two thumbs up and a big smile. The two had met about a year earlier when private investigator Matt Houston had come to the station while working on a case that had more of an effect on his life than he could have ever imagined.

The engine turned into the alley and the flames from the dumpster fire that they had been dispatched to extinguish were visible. As the engine came to a stop the firefighters scrambled down, following the captain's orders. Houston was assigned to one of the hoses as the crew began dousing the flames. In just a few minutes the flames were gone. As Houston and three of the other fire fighters checked to be sure it was completely out, the PI stopped. "Guys, we've got a body in here. Cap!"

Frank Withers approached the dumpster and looked down inside. The badly burnt remains of a hand and arm could be seen. "Oh man…" The captain radioed in requesting an investigator. "Too bad you don't have your gear with you."

"Yeah, but…" Matt took off the helmet and turn out coat. "That won't keep me from looking around."

"Alright guys – watch where you step and head back to the engine." He watched as the PI retrieved a flashlight from the cab and carefully walked back to the dumpster, examining the cracked pavement as he went. In the last several months Houston had been taking classes in order to become a fire investigator and his record so far was spotless. The Fire Marshal hadn't been too sure about the idea initially but after checking into the PI's background and with urging from Captain Rich Holt he had agreed and was now glad that he had: Houston had proven himself already and had eased the workload on the other investigators.

Squatting down about six feet from the dumpster he found blood spatter and something that looked like a sliver of wood about 4" long. He remembered seeing part of a two by four in the garbage. As he stood back up and shone the light around the area he saw more blood that was smeared.

Sirens drew nearer and then became silent as Houston was joined by Fire Inspector Rich Holt first and then Detective Lee Jennings of the LAPD. Looking over his shoulder at Rich he spoke. "Gonna need some markers, bud." The fire investigator nodded as he turned back to the SUV for equipment.

Lee carefully walked over. "Imagine meeting you here. Trying to make a fashion statement with the pants?" He gave his friend a grin.

"Tell ya what – I wouldn't trade these pants for a hundred head of cattle." Matt tapped the leg of the protective pants that were part of his turnout gear. "And the suspenders are kinda snazzy, doncha think?"

"What have we got?" Rich stepped up next to the pair and listened as the PI gave him the details so far.

"It looks to me like it started here…" He led them to the area of blood spatter that he had found. "Looks like the attacker was right about here and there's a sliver of wood here that looks like it might have come off a 2x4 that's in there." He pointed to the dumpster. "From the way it's smeared right here it seems like they were moving the victim toward the dumpster. All that's showing of the body is an arm and hand."

"Alright." Rich handed Matt a pair of gloves and began photographing the scene as Matt continued to look around.

"Who called it in?" Lee watched as the pair continued.

"Ask the cap – I don't know." Houston took a marker and placed it near a bloody footprint. "But I can tell you we were dispatched at 11:58." Just as they reached the dumpster a van from the Coroner's office pulled up. "Looks like we'll get to see who we've got pretty soon."

After photos were made of the way the body was situated in the dumpster, the two Coroner's assistants along with Matt and Rich pulled the partially burned body out of the dumpster and gently laid it on a tarp. The PI felt a lump in his throat.

"Damn – he's just a kid. Can't be more than 15 or 16 years old." Rich sadly shook his head. "Who in the hell could he have pissed off so bad?"

"No telling." Lee looked back into the garbage. "Bet this backpack is his." He removed it and set it on the foot of the tarp as one of the Coroner's assistants checked the boy's pockets.

"Shane Allen Baxter – 14. There's an address on Atlantic." He handed the wallet to Rich, who along with Lee jotted down the information.

Matt knelt down and unzipped the backpack. Inside were a couple of t-shirts, a pair of jeans and several small packages of what appeared to be meth and crack. "Looks like he was dealing." He looked sadly up at the burnt body of the boy wondering if anyone even wondered why he wasn't home.

"There isn't any cash in his pockets." The Coroner's assistant spoke up.

"Seventeen bucks in the wallet." Lee showed the others. "Looks like somebody really worked him over."

Matt went back to the dumpster and retrieved what was left of the 2x4. "There's blood on here – and hair, too."

"Houston…" Captain Withers called out. "We've got another call – are you staying or going?"

Rich nodded toward the engine. "Go ahead – we've got it."

Houston stood. "Thanks. See y'all later." Jogging back over to the engine he handed the flashlight back to Withers and donned the jacket and helmet as he climbed back into the cab. The engineer pulled away as he hit the siren headed out to the scene of a car accident.

"So he's getting more on the job training?" Lee gestured over his shoulder.

"The boss thought it would be a good idea." Rich gave a chuckle. "He's been kept busy today. 16's been loaded down all day long. Frank called me earlier when they had a slight break in the action and gave me a report." The investigator pulled out his phone to request a truck to pick up the dumpster.

"And?"

"I don't think that there's anything in the world he can't do." Rich grinned.

The next afternoon CJ gently set Catey Rose on the bed and whispered to her. "Go wake up Daddy." The baby crawled up the bed and planted a big kiss on his cheek. "Up, Daddy."

"Hey there, Lady Bug." Matt scooped up the now one year old and began blowing raspberries on her belly sending her into a burst of giggles.

CJ stood watching the pair and smiling. "I thought you might prefer her to the alarm clock."

"I sure do." He began tickling the baby until both were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

"Michael called earlier. He wanted to ask you some questions about the dumpster fire."

"Huh – don't know why – Lee was there and Rich landed the case."

"Well it seems that there was another boy killed a few miles away."

"Hmm…" Matt sat up on the edge of the bed and yawned before picking up his phone.

"Come on, Catey. Let Daddy get dressed." She gave him a kiss as she picked up their daughter.

"Hey – CJ said you called." He stood up stretching before padding to the closet for a pair of jeans.

"Yeah. I read Lee's report about the body you found last night. Another boy about the same age was found early this morning not too far from there – looked like somebody really beat him up bad. Would you mind taking a look at what we've got – see if they might be related somehow?"

"Your office?" Matt pulled a t-shirt over his head and grabbed a ball cap.

"Uh huh. If I'm not here it will be on the desk."

"See ya." The PI hung up and took the Glock out of the bedside table, tucking it into the back of his jeans as he walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. As he stepped out onto the patio he found CJ, Catey, and Tomás along with nanny Sheila Wentworth in the pool. "Can y'all stay out of trouble for a while?" He knelt down beside the pool to give CJ a kiss.

"We'll muddle through somehow. Be careful."

In his best hen-pecked voice he answered, "Yes dear." The response was a splash of water from Catey.

"Be good, Daddy." She gave him a devilish little grin.

"Uh huh. We'll see." He patted Tilly on the head and left.

After pulling into the garage at the police station, the PI clipped his LAPD ID on the collar of his shirt and hit the stairs up to the fourth floor where he stopped to grab a cup of coffee and talk to Luis Sanchez for a minute before going into Hoyt's office. The lieutenant was gone and Houston found the file as he dropped into the chair behind the desk. He took a sip of coffee and leaned back in the chair propping his feet up on the desk as he opened the file.

The victim was 15 year old Tino Octavius Washington – an African-American with an address on Medford Street. He had been found in an alley that ran behind the Utility Company located on North Soto. The boy had been beaten to death according to the ME's report. Washington had literally had his head beaten in on the left side by what had been identified as part of a concrete block. The pictures of the scene showed blood on the block and pieces of it had been found in the boy's head wound. A search of his pockets revealed three dollars and some change along with a couple of small packages of meth.

Pulling a notebook out of his pocket the PI wrote down the boy's information. As he finished writing, the door opened and Michael Hoyt entered. "Comfy?" The cop removed his suit jacket and hung it up. Matt started to remove his feet from the desk but stopped when his friend shook his head. "No, stay there. I'm going to land on this couch for a few minutes." The cop stretched out and blew out a breath.

"Rough day so far?" The PI closed up the notebook and replaced it.

"The utter stupidity of some members of the human race is appalling." Hoyt closed his eyes. "I haven't read the file on the boy found in the dumpster; Lee hit the high points when we crossed paths this morning. He heard about the second boy and wondered if there was a connection."

"There wasn't a fire on the second one. I don't know." Houston stood up and yawned as he replaced the folder. "Has anybody notified the families yet?"

"Lee attempted to on the Baxter kid but no one was there."

"Richie Valdez worked the other one…" He looked out in the squad room and spotted the detective. "I'll ask him." Downing the last of the coffee the PI threw his cup in the trash while he went to the door. "Hey Valdez – got a second?"

"Sure." Sergeant Richard Valdez had transferred into the squad a couple of weeks earlier. Other than being introduced briefly the two men hadn't spoken.

"On the Washington case: has the family been notified?"

"Yes and no; I went to the kid's address. He lived with his grandfather. The guy was passed out drunk on the front steps – had to call an ambulance for him. Evidently he cracked his head when he hit the porch."

"Where is he?"

"They took him to Memorial."

"What's his name?" the PI pulled out the notebook once again.

"Martin Washington."

"Thanks." He turned back toward the lieutenant's office and opened the door. "Hey…"

Michael opened an eye and looked at him. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to try to make contact with both families and check out the second scene. You okay?"

Hoyt sat up on the couch. "Yeah, it's just been a long day."

"Alright. See ya later." Houston hit the stairs at the end of the hall and then collected his truck in the garage. His first stop was the scene on North Soto. As he got out of the truck Matt reached into the console for his camera before walking across the alley that consisted of cracked asphalt and gravel. The spot where the boy had died was easy to find: there was a large patch of gravel that was now a rusty-brown color with a void in it where the body had been. The concrete block had been taken by the crime scene techs but there were several others scattered next to a chain link fence. As he took a couple of shots of the area his mind drifted back to the pictures of Tino Washington whose face had been so badly smashed and the thought that too many young people were dying violent deaths went through his mind.

Walking down the alley looking for any other clues that might help them discover who had murdered the boy, Matt thought about the other victim. Both murders were extremely violent. It took a lot of force to do the damage that both boys had suffered. Although he hadn't seen the report on Shane Baxter he knew that the teen had been badly beaten.

He turned back after reaching the end of the alley. Baxter had been 14 and Washington 15. Both had been found with drugs and from what he had heard from Hoyt and Valdez, neither seemed to have much of a home life. As he reached the truck he turned back to look at the scene once more thinking sadly that the two were far too young to die.

Once behind the wheel he looked at his notebook and thought about what Valdez had told him about Martin Washington. Most likely he was still at Memorial so the PI dropped the truck into gear and headed for the hospital – a place where he had spent way too much time. Not only was it where his dad has died but where he had proposed to CJ. The Houston's nanny, Sheila Wentworth, had been a nurse at Memorial and taken care of Matt on numerous occasions before being laid off after several years on the job.

About five minutes later his phone rang and he hit the speaker button. "Hey Lil Mama – what's up?"

"I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow."

"You didn't really think I would forget that did ya?" He was smiling. The hearing for the adoption of Tomás was scheduled for 10:00AM. "How's he doing?"

"Just a little nervous. How's the case going?"

"It's depressing. I'll tell you about it later. I'm trying to catch up with the grandfather of one of the victims."

"Just be careful. Love you."

"Love you, too. 'Bye." He hung up and couldn't help but smile. The adoption process had moved much quicker than they had anticipated. As he parked and went toward the front doors of the hospital he wondered what Washington would have to say.

The emergency room wasn't overly crowded for once and he waited in line at the desk for a couple of minutes. The nurse looked up at him somewhat surprised. "Houston? You usually get brought in by the paramedics – what gives?"

"How ya doin', Simone? I'm not here as a customer today. Could you tell me if Martin Washington is still here? He was brought in this morning."

"He…" She worked the keyboard. "…left about an hour ago."

"Well that was a wasted trip – except for seeing you." He gave her a big smile.

"So how are CJ and the baby?"

"Oh, they're just fine. We've got a pair of twins on the way, too. Gotta keep Sheila busy ya know." The look of shock on her face gave way to laughter.

"Now how come I'm not really surprised? Tell everybody I said hello."

"I'll do it, hon. Thanks for your help."

Back in the truck he looked up Washington's address and started that way. He pulled up outside of the duplex to find a man of about sixty sitting on the front porch, a bottle in his hand and row upon row of wrinkles furrowed into his dark face. _That's got to be him._ Stopping at the bottom step he spoke. "Mr. Washington?"

Dark brown bloodshot eyes scrutinized him. "Who's askin'?"

Houston showed his ID from the police department. "I'd like to talk to you about Tino."

Washington took a long swallow from the bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "He ain't here."

"Yes sir. Do you remember talking to Detective Valdez this morning? He was the one who called the ambulance for you when you fell."

"Huh…no, don't recall that."

"Mr. Washington…" He paused for a minute, looking down at the ground; death notifications were rough. "I hate to be the one to tell you this but Tino was killed last night."

The older man just looked at him for a minute before raising the bottle to his lips again. After another long swallow he spoke. "What happened?"

"He was beaten to death in an alley off of North Soto. Do you know of anyone he was having problems with?"

"Nope."

"What about friends? Can you tell me who he ran with?"

"Nope." Washington began to raise the bottle again but was stopped when the PI grabbed his arm.

"Do you even care that he's gone?" Matt's anger began to rise. The man just looked at him. Releasing his arm he looked upward for a minute. "Can I take a look at his room?"

"Help yourself." Once more the bottle was raised as Matt went through the front door.

Inside the apartment was dark and filthy, the smell of rotting garbage nearly overwhelming as the PI put on a pair of gloves. Walking through the living room he turned to the right and found Tino's room. Clothes were strewn across it and fast food wrappers were scattered around the overflowing trash can. A bare mattress on the floor and a blanket were in one corner of the cramped room while a stack of CDs and videogames and gaming system along with a TV took up the opposite wall. As he looked through the jumbled mess he found three eighth grade textbooks and a couple of notebooks. Next he set the mattress on end and let out a disgusted sigh as several cockroaches and a small colony of ants scattered. Aside from some old issues of Playboy he found a cell phone with a cracked screen. Pushing the power button didn't get him anywhere so he pulled a small evidence bag out of his pocket and labelled it, then filled out a receipt for it. Looking around the room once more he went back out on the steps and handed the receipt to Martin Washington along with one of his cards. "If you happen to think of something that might help us give me a call."

Washington took both without a word as Matt turned and went to his truck. Giving one more glance back he saw the man wad up the receipt and card, tossing them out into the small bare yard. "No wonder the kid was out running the streets."

The truck stopped in front of the apartment building on Atlantic and the PI consulted his notes once again before exiting the vehicle. He didn't like the look of the place any better than the Washington home. Without really knowing why, he reached in and removed the holster from the truck's console and strapped it on and then the bullet proof vest. After clipping on his ID, Houston locked the truck and went to the front entrance where several teenagers were gathered. "Do any of y'all know Shane Baxter?" The group fell silent and he looked around at all of them. "Nobody?" He caught sight of a girl at the back of the group who was sitting on an overturned milk crate. She looked like she had been crying recently. Their eyes locked for a second and she quickly looked down. Matt entered the building and could hear as the group once again went back to what they had been doing. He looked over his shoulder at them as he punched the button for the elevator. The doors opened jerkily and he stepped in hitting the button for the tenth floor.

Houston turned to the right when he exited the elevator and nearly tripped over a bag of garbage in the near-darkness. The only working light fixture was two-thirds of the way down the hall. He stopped outside of apartment 1023 and knocked. After waiting a minute he knocked again, louder this time. Hearing slight movement on the other side of the door the PI pounded loudly. It was then that he heard a loud crash. Pulling his pistol and taking two steps back he hit the flimsy door near the lock and watched as it swung inward and bounced crazily off the wall behind it and then completely fell off the door frame. A sickening smell assaulted his senses; the odor of garbage, human waste, marijuana, and something that he couldn't identify turned his stomach. "LAPD – show yourself!" He started through the apartment that was littered with all sorts of half-eaten food, take out containers, and dirty diapers. It was then that he saw a woman slumped in the floor near the grimy window. As he discovered there wasn't a pulse he heard a small cry coming from the piled up couch. Moving over he saw a tiny baby. "Oh, my God." He pulled out his phone, first calling 911 and then Hoyt. "Come down to 17322 Atlantic – apartment 1023."

"What's going on?" The lieutenant knew something was off by the sound of his friend's voice.

"Just get here quick, Michael."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Michael Hoyt pulled in right behind an ambulance at the Atlantic Avenue apartment building and joined the paramedics in the elevator. Rushing down the hall he nearly choked as the smell hit him. The sight inside the apartment shocked him: Matt was kneeling by the heavily-laden couch performing CPR on a tiny infant. One of the paramedics went to help him and the other went to the woman, but quickly returned to help his partner with the baby.

Looking dazed, Matt stumbled over a pile of garbage and out into the hallway, Michael following him. "Are you okay?" The PI was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "Matt?" Hoyt watched as his friend shook his head no and then sank down into a squatting position with his head in his hands. Not knowing what else to do he knelt down next to him and patted him on the back as he phoned for a CSI team. A couple of minutes later the paramedics gathered up their equipment and came out to the hallway. The older man looked at Hoyt and shook his head sadly.

"Lieutenant, do you have the names of the people?" Houston held out his notebook and the paramedic began filling out the paperwork as the cop called the coroner's office. "What about the baby?" The PI shook his head no and took back the book.

"I'll send you the information when we find it…if we find it." Hoyt looked at the interior of the apartment. When the paramedics were gone he spoke to Matt again. "Tell me what happened."

Drawing in a deep breath, Houston told him what happened from the time he parked the truck until he found the woman dead. Shaking his head the PI looked inside at the tiny body lying next to the couch. "He was alive…but he was so weak he couldn't really cry." Tears came to his eyes. "I picked him up and held him…in a couple of minutes he just…he quit breathing. I tried…" Matt shook his head and his voice cracked. "How could anybody do that?"

Putting an arm around him Hoyt tried to calm him down. "I don't know. But I do know you did everything possible to help him." The two stayed in the hallway and after a few minutes the PI's grief turned to anger. He stood up and as he started into the apartment the cop held him back. "No…you don't need to go back in there." The elevator doors opened and two patrolmen emerged along with CSI techs Cheryl Crawford and Bob Wisnewski.

"My God…" The petite blonde stopped when she reached the doorway. "Houston – are you okay?" The PI couldn't speak but just shook his head. Silently she gave him a hug.

"If you two have got this we're going down stairs." Hoyt took Matt by the arm and started down the hallway as two workers from the Coroner's Office arrived. Entering the elevator the cop pushed the button for the ground floor.

"I'm sorry." Matt watched as the numbers slowly changed. "You would think I would be used to it by now."

"Remember what you told me when you came back to work after the bomb blast? You said, "If you ever do get used to it that's the time to quit."" He patted his friend on the back. "We can only do what we can do."

"And I know something that I _can_ do." When they got outside of the building he looked around at the group of teens and finally found the girl that he had seen earlier. When she saw him coming she turned and started away. Matt jogged to catch up to her. "You knew Shane." She stopped. "Look at me." He turned her around. "You knew him…and you cared about him. Talk to me…please?"

Hesitantly she looked between the man in front of her and the group. She nodded. "I knew him."

"Look, let's go over here, get a drink and talk, okay?" Matt nodded in the direction of the convenience store across the street. She nodded. After buying three drinks they sat down in a cramped booth. "Okay. What's your name?" The PI pulled out his notebook.

"April Lucas. Shane was a really sweet guy. His mom didn't work…wouldn't work. The only thing she cared about was getting her drugs."

"Heroin." Houston had seen the blackened spoon laying on the floor and the needle that was in the woman's arm.

The girl nodded. "He tried to keep the place livable, you know? But his mom would come in and bring men…" She stopped. "He left about three years ago. Sometimes he would come by to see me." April took a drink. "About six months after he left I saw him. Shane told me he was selling."

"Crack and meth."

She nodded again. "He hated it but he had to survive."

"Do you know who he sold for?"

"I don't know his real name but everybody calls him Z Street." She watched as he took notes. "He's mean. Shane came back here one time and he had been beaten real bad. His nose was busted, his eyes were black and he was covered with bruises. Z said that he wasn't selling enough. Shane hid in the laundry room for a couple of days until he wasn't hurting so bad. Then he left again."

"When was the last time you saw him?" The PI took a sip of the drink.

"Two days ago." April teared up. "He was scared that Z was going to beat him again. He was $20 short when he turned in the money the week before." She cried for a minute. "He told me goodbye…said he was leaving town as soon as he got the money together. I heard some of the guys say that he was dead."

Matt nodded. "Did you know his mom had a baby?"

"No…I heard the paramedics say somebody didn't make it."

"Both of them." Matt's voice was very quiet. The girl completely broke down. After a couple of minutes she calmed and he reached across the table for her hand. "What about you? Do you need some help?"

"No. My mom just got a new job. We should be out of here in a few months. We'll be okay." She gave him a shy smile.

Sliding one of his cards across to her he spoke. "Call me if you think of anything else or if you need anything – okay?"

"Thanks." She tucked the card in her pocket and left them sitting there.

Hoyt finished his drink. "Go home, PI." Both slid out of the booth and headed for their vehicles. "And good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks." Houston handed over the cell phone from Tino Washington's room and slid behind the wheel and started the engine, the image of the baby refusing to leave his mind. All the way home he thought about how cruel the world was. Shane, Tino, the baby…all three hadn't had a fair shot at life.

Instead of parking the truck like he usually did, Houston went on down toward the barn, much to the surprise of everyone sitting at the table on the patio. "Something's wrong." CJ handed Catey to Sheila and walked down to the pasture where Matt was sitting on the top rail of the fence petting on Cricket. Quietly walking up to the pair, she softly rubbed his back. "What's wrong?" It took him a minute to answer but he told her about what had happened that afternoon. "Baby, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Come down, hon." Matt turned and slid to the ground, his eyes locked on the dirt that he was standing on. "You did everything you could do, Matt. It isn't your fault." He looked toward the mountains and shook his head. "That baby probably felt more love in the two minutes that you held him than he had ever felt in his life. If you hadn't been there he wouldn't have even had that."

"I just…" Once again he looked down.

"You're just human. You can't save everyone: you know that. But think of all the good that you've done in this world – how many lives you've saved. And think about tomorrow: tomorrow Tomás officially becomes one of the family. You saved him, too." She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, his arms encircling her waist as he put his head on top of hers. "Matt, you've done more good than anyone else that I know."

"But it's never going to be enough is it?"

The next morning the entire Houston household arrived at Family Court for their 10:00AM hearing. Unbeknownst to Matt, CJ had arranged for the entire Novelli family to be present. Once inside the courtroom the PI's jaw dropped when he looked over on the right hand side of the aisle and saw not only his Uncle Roy but all seven of the Novelli's with huge smiles on their faces. Because their case was being called, the most he could do was return the smile.

After being sworn in Matt and CJ answered some final questions and then Judge Patricia Leander called Tomás to the stand. "Tomás, I have a few questions for you to answer."

"Yes ma'am." The fifteen year old looked over at Matt and CJ who both smiled at him.

"Tomás, you've been in the Houston's custody since February. We're here today because Mr. and Mrs. Houston have asked to make you a part of their family. How do you feel about that?"

"I'm happy. Mr. Houston found me when I had been living on the streets for four years after my grandmother died. I would probably be dead by now if it wasn't for them. From the time that I met them I felt safe. They've helped me get back into school and given me a home. I'm already a member of the family – at least in here." He pointed to his heart.

"So you understand that they will be in charge until you turn 18 and you agree to abide by their rules?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Very well. Mr. and Mrs. Houston – would you approach the bench please? Tomás, you can stand with them." She watched as the boy stood between the pair. "This court has determined that you have met the requirements set by the State of California to adopt this young man. I also grant Tomás the name change that he requested. From this day forward he will be known as Tomás Sergio Houston. Congratulations!" She beamed down as the three hugged and a round of applause broke out in the courtroom. Catey Rose, from her seat on Sheila's lap, began cheering and the Novelli boys whistled loudly to add to the celebration.

After a rowdy trip back to the ranch, everyone gathered on the patio for a cookout. As they ate and talked Vince looked over at the boy. "So Tomás – what're you gonna call them?"

The boy grinned and looked over at Matt. The pair had shared a conversation a few weeks earlier about that subject. "Well…it took me a while to figure it out; would it be okay if I called you Mom and Pop?"

CJ looked at Matt, both smiling. "Like I told you before: I'll proudly wear any name that you give me." Houston raised his glass. "Sounds good to me – how about you, Babe?"

"Suits me just fine." She leaned over and gave the boy a kiss on the cheek.

Later on that evening, Vince and Matt were down at the barn watching as the kids were riding horses. The former cop elbowed his friend. "CJ tells me you've been dealing with a rough case."

Matt pulled two cigars out of his shirt pocket and handed one to his friend. "Yep." He held the lighter for Vince and then lit his own. "She told you what happened, huh?"

"Uh huh." The two puffed in silence for a minute. "It can be hard to deal with; been there, done that." He took a draw on the cigar. "Sometimes it seems like an impossible job. People die. It sucks, but that's how it happens." He looked over at Houston again. "You did everything you could possibly do for that baby and you know it. Now quit sulking over it, get your ass in gear, and get the jerks that killed those kids." Matt looked up at him somewhat shocked. "That wasn't exactly what you thought you would hear, was it? But we both know it's the truth."

Both men got quiet again and as it began to get dark, Houston helped the kids put the horses sway for the night. As the Novelli boys and Tomás trooped back up to the house the two friends finished the cigars and headed that way as well. Matt looked over at the former cop. "Thanks, Vince."

"No problem. You're just like everybody else, pal; you need your butt kicked occasionally." The PI just rolled his eyes and grinned. "So how's Mama been doing?" He looked up and saw the petite Italian lady sitting with Roy on the patio, away from the others.

Vince shrugged. "I still can't believe what happened with Paulie. Michael's trial is set for December; so is Scott Sage's."

"Think she'll go?" Matt looked over to his friend.

"I don't know. She doesn't want to talk about it…or Roy."

"He hasn't had much to say either." Both men walked up and sat down with their wives, spending the rest of the evening talking.

After seeing the Novelli family off at the airport, Matt went to the penthouse office. "Mornin', Chris." He picked up the stack of mail on the secretary's desk and began looking through it.

"So how does it feel to be the dad of a teenager?" She gave him a big smile.

"About the same… 'course he doesn't have a license yet and hasn't thrown a party." Both chuckled. "As long as he doesn't try to pull some of the stuff I used to…" He gave her a big grin. "…we should be just fine."

"You turned out okay." She watched as he went up the steps to the main office chuckling, and thought to herself that he had changed a lot since she first came to work for him when he started Houston Industries.

Matt went behind the bar and poured a cup of coffee before sitting down on one of the barstools. He opened a letter from Derwin Dunlap, his partner in the video game and BugBytes ventures. Derwin confirmed that their latest project in the "Alien Armory" series was set to hit stores in two weeks. Over six million copies had been pre-ordered, a figure that caused Matt to stop in surprise momentarily. As he continued reading, Dunlap said that he had been contacted by military officials interested in hiring the company to come up with combat training simulators. He wanted Houston to begin thinking about that project.

After topping off the coffee, the PI went out on the patio and stood watching the traffic down below on Figueroa. His mind went back to the Baxter and Washington cases. He had a feeling that Lee had been right in thinking that the two were related. Both boys came from a bad home life, they were close in age, had both been beaten, and both appeared to have been selling drugs. It wasn't unusual for suppliers to have kids selling for them.

Pulling out his phone, he wandered over and sat down in a chair, propped his boots up on the wall, and hit Michael's number on speed dial.

"Congratulations." Michael Hoyt was on his way back into his office with a cup of coffee.

"Thanks. Have you heard anything from the lab on Tino Washington's phone?"

"I have; Bob just called and said that we would be interested in what was recovered from it."

"Okay, I'll head that way. See ya." As he stood up Matt finished off the coffee and went back into the office, putting his cup on the bar before walking to the elevator and informing Chris that he was leaving.

In the parking garage of the police station he clipped on his ID and took the stairs up to the fourth floor, where he nearly collided with Gabby Giovanni, one of the squad's newest detectives. "Whoa there! Where's the fire?"

"I don't do fires; that's your gig – remember?"

"He's getting old and forgetful." Michael spoke up.

"Bite my old." He gave his friend a rude gesture causing Giovanni to crack up as she went down the stairs. "Ready to see Bob?"

"Yeah." Michael punched the button for the elevator, stepping into the car when the doors opened.

"Watch your step, Gramps. You forgot your cane again." Houston stepped in as a round of laughter came from the squad room.

"Keep on, PI." Hoyt pushed the button. Changing the subject he told his friend that there weren't any other developments in the two cases. "So was Jennings right?"

Matt nodded. "I think so."

Both men stepped off the elevator and turned right, walking down toward the lab. Bob Wisnewski looked up from the computer. "Glad you two are here. I think you might find this interesting." As the pair joined him he held up the phone. "I recovered some prints from Tino's cell. Some of them were obviously his but there were a couple that weren't. So far I haven't found a match in the system. But…" He held up two evidence bags. "They did match prints found on the drugs that were recovered from both boys' belongings."

"So they are definitely related." Matt nodded.

"I also printed out the call history." Bob handed over several sheets of paper. "That's pretty much it so far."

"That's more than we started out with – thanks." Matt shook the tech's hand and walked out into the hallway with Hoyt whose phone began ringing.

"Yeah?" The lieutenant sighed and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Tell him I'll be right there." Hanging up, he looked at Matt. "Gotta go to a call."

"Mind if I borrow your office?" The PI stopped at the elevator.

"You know it's half yours now anyway." Hoyt got into the car. "Never thought I would hear myself say that when we first met."

The doors closed and Matt went to the stairwell and back down to the fourth floor, grabbing a cup of coffee before going into Hoyt's office and plopping down in the chair behind the desk. He leaned back and propped his feet up reading through the phone numbers on the list. Four numbers were the most frequent. Removing four highlighters from the desk's center drawer he went through and marked each of the four numbers with a different color before picking up the computer's keyboard and entering them into the reverse directory. "Damn." All four were burn phones. He picked up the phone and dialed Wisnewski's extension. "Hey, what about texts?"

"I was just working on that. Haven't got them yet, though."

"I'll be there in a minute." He replaced the markers, picked up the list and went back upstairs to the lab, finishing the coffee as he left the elevator. "Anything?"

Wisnewski nodded. "I'm printing them out now." He copied the file and handed the printout to Houston.

"Thanks." He sat down on one of the stools and began comparing the numbers to the texts. One quickly caught his attention: Bax. _ Shane Baxter maybe?_ It read, "Z mad again." The PI thought back to what April Lucas had told him two days before about the dealer known as Z Street. He continued reading as Tino had replied, " me 2." So both boys had been working for Z. Quickly he left the lab and hit the stairs down to the Narcotics office. As he spoke with the clerk there the head of the unit, Clint Anderson, arrived.

"Houston – how are you?" The lieutenant held out his hand and the two shook.

"Good. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Nah…come on in. Coffee?"

"No thanks." He followed the older man into his office.

"Have a seat." Anderson sat down and moved a stack of papers out of his way. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"What do you know about a dealer named Z Street?"

"Nothing good." Anderson expression became one of concern. "Have you had a run in with him?"

"No. He's turned up in connection with a couple of murders – two teenagers to be exact."

"Who?" He listened as the PI explained. "He's a cold-hearted bastard. But he's also smart. We haven't been able to tie him to anything yet."

"I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say it's because he uses the kids."

"That plus the fact that he's very careful."

"So careful that even his prints aren't on file."

"You're right." The lieutenant surveyed him for a minute before going to a filing cabinet in the corner and removing two folders, handing one to the PI. "It's some interesting reading."

Houston opened the folder and read it from front to back in only a couple of minutes. "Not much there at all – not even a picture."

"Nope. We've never seen him without a hood."

The PI considered what he had read. "What about his other help? There's got to be another adult helping him."

"We believe there is, but aren't certain. You might find this interesting as well. This guy used to run the action in that area up until about six months ago." Anderson handed over the second folder.

When Matt opened it the first thing he saw was a grisly crime scene photo of a man, identified as Mark Pendleton, who had been stabbed multiple times. He flipped to the next picture that showed the back of the victim. He turned back to the first photo. "Some of the wounds went completely through him?"

"Yep. He was found in a known crack house when we made a bust. Naturally nobody there knew a thing about him."

"Naturally." The PI handed back both folders. "Any idea what the weapon was?"

"No – the ME said it was about 11mm in diameter. That's it." The lieutenant went back around the desk and had a seat. "I had surveillance set up in that general area but when nothing panned out…" He shrugged.

"Your officers were needed elsewhere."

"Uh huh."

"What was the address of the crack house?"

Anderson rattled it off. "If you want to look around I would advise doing it soon: it's on the city's list of properties scheduled for demolition."

"When?"

"Next week."

Houston stood and extended his hand. "Thanks for the help."

Anderson shook it. "I wasn't very helpful."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Hey Lil Mama – what's going on?"

"Not much. Tomás and Catey are playing in the pool. Sheila's gone with some of her friends for a picnic."

"What about you?" He pulled up to a light.

"I'm sunning myself like a beached whale." Although she was joking, he knew that the weight of a twin pregnancy was bothering her.

"Nah…you're more like a dolphin."

"Glad YOU think so. So how's it going?"

"We've picked up a couple of leads. The cases are definitely related, though; Lee was right."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to know that. Just be careful out there, okay?"

Using his hen-pecked voice once again he replied, "Yes, dear." Both laughed. "Love you, Babe."

"Love you. 'Bye."

Matt parked the truck in front of the house where Mark Pendleton's body had been found. The grass was near four feet tall in spots and trash of all kinds was all over the place. The roof appeared to have had some of the shingles removed and from the neat line the PI suspected that one of the neighbors had raided it to repair their own roof.

Knowing that the area a couple of blocks west of Crenshaw was dangerous, he had donned his vest and holster before leaving the station. He now put on a pair of nitrile gloves and topped them with a pair of tactical gloves: the last thing he wanted was to be stuck by a needle or cut by a shard of glass.

Before leaving the truck he looked around. There was an older couple peering at him through a door covered with iron bars. They immediately retreated when he caught sight of them. A few people were sitting on a porch four houses down where the thumping of music was laced with the shouts and laughter of those gathered there.

After sliding out of the cab, Houston locked up the truck and made his way up the crumbling steps to a walkway that looked like it had been through a war. Tall grass grew up between the numerous cracks. He had ventured only five steps when he saw the first syringe. From that point on they were scattered along with bits and pieces of broken glass from crack pipes and beer bottles.

Maneuvering around a large crater in the front porch he saw that the seal that had been placed on the door had been removed, torn into pieces, and made into a smiley face on what was left of the screen door that fell off its hinges as he opened it. Tossing aside the dented and warped piece of aluminum and ripped screen he shouldered the wooden door that groaned as it grudgingly opened. The scant amount of daylight that shone into the front room caused bugs and mice alike to skitter away but that didn't bother him compared to the sickening smell that issued from the house. "Damn." Before he even turned on the flashlight he knew he would soon be making a phone call: death had its own unique smell.

He examined the floor before carefully testing his weight on it, causing it to creak. Shining the light around the room he saw an ocean of filth – crack pipes, needles, and trash of all kinds were revealed by the beam. Step by step he worked his way through the house until he found the source of the smell. The body was stretched across a ratty mattress in the hallway, the unseeing cloudy eyes staring at him as he shone the light around.

He pulled out his phone and hit Michael's number on speed dial for the second time that day. "Hey – are you still on a scene? Well I've got another one for you."

After giving the cop the address he took another look at the corpse. His best guess was that it had been there about five days. The warm temps and amount of animal and insect damage didn't help, but he didn't see any blood in the area. He didn't want to mess up the scene any more than he already had so he retraced his steps and went back out to the truck, glad to be out where he could draw a deep breath.

He dropped the tailgate on the truck and waited for several minutes. In a few minutes he looked up the street to see detectives Giovanni and Valdez approaching. "The LT said that you're trying to drum up business for us." Gabby gave him a crooked smile.

"Not intentionally." He popped a mint into his mouth and led the pair inside. "At a guess I'd say she's been here five or six days. There ya go."

"Oh goody." Gabby shone her flashlight around. "Think she OD'd?" She looked to Valdez who shrugged.

"I don't see any blood and it's an obvious drug house." He looked around. "I don't see any weapons either." Turning back to the PI, Valdez spoke once again. "What brought you here?"

"The Baxter-Washington case."

Valdez nodded. "The LT told me he handed that off to you."

A voice echoed through the house. "Is just anybody welcome to join in?" CSI tech Cheryl Crawford carefully worked her way into the house along with two workers from the Coroner's Office. "There's my favorite cowboy. What's the big idea of giving me more work?" She gave him a big smile.

"That wasn't my intention. I came to check out a scene from last year."

"I caught that one, too." She shone the light down on the female corpse and began taking pictures. "I still think that guy was killed with a piece of rebar but the old ME squashed that."

"Rebar?" The PI thought back to the pictures he had looked at earlier and nodded his head. "That could sure have done the damage. I think you were right…" He turned to go back outside. "…and I think I may know where it came from."

As the others worked the new case, Matt pulled his camera out of the console and came back up to the hole in the porch. He began taking pictures of the interior. There were pieces of broken rebar, some still attached to the concrete and some not. Making sure to clear the area on one side of the porch, he lay down on his belly and shone the flashlight around, spotting what looked like more loose pieces of the supports. Hard as he tried they were beyond his reach.

Valdez walked out the front door. "Something down there?"

"Possibly – think you can give me a hand?"

"Sure." The detective knelt down next to him, holding onto his legs as the PI reached down into the crumbled mess of concrete and steel.

"Ah hah." The PI snapped a picture, handed the camera to Valdez and stretched his arm out. "Can't quite reach it." He slid forward a few more inches and heard Michael as he picked his way up the walk.

"Houston – what in the hell are you doing?"

Matt cracked up. "Gees Michael – you almost sound like your old self…and I do mean old." He could feel as his friend helped Valdez keep him from falling in.

"Shut up, PI. Like a damn lightning rod."

"Well…" He finally grasped what he was after. "…Maybe the lightning rod is actually rebar. Pull me back up." The two cops dragged him backwards until only his arms were out over the edge.

Cheryl had walked out just then and as he rolled over onto his back, the CSI tech let out a whistle. "Now that's a six pack." Matt's shirt had come untucked.

"Congratulations, Cheryl… you made him blush." Hoyt laughed as he held out a hand to help the PI back to his feet.

"Looks to me like it might have blood on it." Matt handed his find over to Cheryl.

"We'll know soon enough." She reached into her kit, removed phenolphthalein, and tested part of the rust-colored substance clinging to the steel. "It's blood alright."

"So that might just be the murder weapon used on Mark Pendleton." Houston gave the tech a wink. As the coroner's assistants came out with the body everyone stepped out of the way. Nodding his head toward the street he spoke again. "What did they say about her?"

Gabby shook her head. "They'll have to do a tox screen before they'll know if it was drug related. The body was a real mess."

Michael entered the house along with Houston who guided him to where the body had been found. The veteran cop looked disgusted. "Mess is right. Mmph." He followed as Houston went back to the bedroom where Pendleton had been found. There was still a dark brown spot on the floor where the man's blood had pooled. Shining the flashlight around on the walls he could still make out blood spatter. Pendleton had been beaten before being stabbed and now that the bloody piece of rebar had been found the PI thought that Cheryl had been right all along. "Pendleton was beaten too – just like Baxter and Washington." Hoyt watched as he shone the light around the room once again. "Whoever it is has quite a temper."

"Uh huh." Michael followed him back outside and down the decrepit walkway. "So what are you thinking?"

"That I'm going to be doing some surveillance tonight. Maybe I can spot this Z Street guy or one of the kids he's using."

At 5:00 he met up with Lee Jennings and Michael in the parking garage of the Houston Industries Building. When the two cops pulled in, the PI had just finished checking the oil in the white van that he used for surveillance. He looked at his watch after closing the hood. "Right on time. I see you got tagged for the stakeout. Ready to break in the new van?"

Lee nodded, a big smile on his face. "Actually I need to ask you for a favor."

The PI wiped his hands on a paper towel as he started for the door of the van. "Need another tie?" He gave a chuckle thinking back a few months when he had given the young cop a tie to wear on his first date with his current girlfriend.

"No…" Lee cracked up. "Will you be my best man?"

"You mean the poor girl said yes?! She MUST be desperate!" The PI laughed again.

"After I told her that you predicted that we would get married she said she didn't want to upset your track record. So will you?"

"Sure. I'd be honored." The two shook hands. "I'm surprised you didn't ask Carl."

"Since you started this whole thing I thought it was only fitting."

"So what you're really trying to say is that Carl doesn't like tuxedos." Matt shook with laughter.

"There is that." All three laughed. "Seriously though – I owe you big time for sending me back in there to ask her out. Thanks."

"What do you know? The lightning rod finally did something right." Hoyt gave Matt a smug look.

"Shut up and get in the van, Gramps." Houston threw the paper towel at the lieutenant and slid behind the wheel.

As the three made the trip over to the area where both Tino Washington and Shane Baxter had been murdered the young cop let out a whistle from the back of the van where he was seated. "Almost looks like a NASA control room back here."

Matt pushed the number for the ranch and hit the speaker button. The phone was answered by Tomás. "Hey Pop – what's up?"

The PI smiled. "Thought I better check up on y'all."

"We're good. Catey's getting a bath and Mom is folding laundry. Are you on the stakeout yet?"

"Nope but we're headed that way. Can you keep the ladies out of trouble for me?"

The teen gave a laugh. "You're kidding – right? Yeah we'll be fine. Just…well, like Mom says be careful out there."

"I will. Talk to ya later." He hung up.

"Pop, huh?" Lee gave a laugh. "Makes you sound kind of old."

"Keep on – I'll tell embarrassing stories at the reception."

"You don't know anything bad about me."

"He doesn't have to…" Hoyt looked back at his junior officer. "He has a very vivid imagination."

Matt parked the van on Lancaster Avenue which was in the same area where both Shane and Tino had been murdered. After stepping into the back and closing the divider between the cab and passenger area he began activating cameras. "I've changed things just a little bit on this van. Instead of just the one camera on the front there are now four…" He punched buttons on a keyboard and four monitors came to life. "Plus…" He punched a few more keys. "Four more on the back annndddd…two on each side." The monitors were showing crystal clear pictures of the activity around them.

"Well I'm impressed." Jennings watched and was able to follow the path of individuals as they made their way past the vehicle.

"And last but not least…" The PI rolled his chair toward the front of the van and pulled a couple of pizza boxes out and grabbed three drinks from a mini fridge. "Mama Novelli's Pizza."

"Oh man! I haven't had one of those in years." Lee pulled a slice out of the open box as did Michael. All three began to eat.

"How's she doing?" Hoyt had learned about the murder of Vince Novelli's brother Paul and the subsequent arrest of another of the Novelli brothers – Michael – on another murder charge.

Matt's expression changed and he shook his head. "Vince says she hardly talks." He took a drink and looked back up at the monitors. "He told me that he hadn't seen her smile until Tomás' adoption was finalized."

"What about her and Roy?" The lieutenant's eyes were on the monitors.

"He hasn't had much to say either." Both were quiet. "But CJ seems to think that they'll eventually get married."

"Funny…" Hoyt took a sip. "At first it was you and CJ driving everybody nuts and now it's the two of them."

Silence fell in the van and three hours passed slowly and uneventfully. "Uh oh – looks like we might have a problem." Michael pointed to one of the monitors that covered the driver's side of the van.

Chuckling, Matt punched a couple of keys and the low growl of a dog could be heard. The man withdrew his hand from the door and looked around, then cupped his hands and peered into the driver's window, unable to see very much due to the window tint. The growl was heard again, louder this time and the would-be car thief took off as the three men inside tried to keep their laughter quiet. Looking at his companions the PI received a high five from Michael who looked close to tears from laughing. "Oh Lord…" The veteran cop wiped his eyes. "Now that's an anti-theft device."

"Hey…" Lee sat up and pointed to another screen. "That kid just made a sale." Sure enough a boy of about 16 immediately made another sale. As they watched, he set his backpack on the bench next to him. A couple of minutes later there was another transaction. "He's really raking it in."

Maneuvering one of the cameras, Matt got a good clear shot of the boy's face. He punched a few more keys. "Let's see if Anderson has anything on him." They went back to watching and Matt's phone vibrated. He read the message on the screen. "Anderson doesn't know him."

After another hour and quite a few more sales they watched as the kid pulled a phone out of his pocket. "He doesn't look too happy." Jennings watched as the kid immediately got to his feet and began pacing back and forth, the backpack now on his shoulder.

"Hello…I think this might be who we're looking for…" Matt sat up straight and watched. "This kid is scared." All three could see him tense up as two figures approached, one wearing a Dodgers cap and the other a short sleeved hoodie that completely obscured his face. "That's gotta be Z Street." They continued to watch as the one in the hat kept look out while the hooded individual appeared to be talking to the kid. Quick as lightning the boy was hit in the stomach by a fist and the attacker held out his hand. The kid reached into his pocket and handed over a roll of cash as the one with the hood pointed his hand at the boy in imitation of a gun, causing the kid to flinch until the attacker turned and started away, the lookout sneering at the boy and then following.

"I'm going to try to follow them." Matt got to his feet as did the other two, all three exiting through the back doors of the van, the PI heading for the person he suspected was Z Street and his associate.

Looking up and seeing the three, the kid ran east – the opposite direction from that the other two had taken. Hoyt went after him as Lee and Houston ran after the other two. But when the lookout turned his head and saw the cop bearing down on them he spoke to the hooded man and both kicked it into high gear. A display rack of shoes that was on the sidewalk was overturned by the lookout and slowed down Houston and Jennings. Once clear of the obstacle they were half a block behind the pair who quickly turned right into an alley filled with dumpsters, pallets, and crates. The minute Matt rounded the corner he slowed, drawing his weapon from the holster on his right hip, Lee doing the same, and both men began the task of clearing the alley. Both checked inside dumpsters and behind them with no luck.

Cursing under his breath, Jennings stopped in his tracks at the side of a wooden crate where he had detected movement, signaling to Houston who nodded and approached the opposite side. Suddenly a shot rang out hitting the cop in the left thigh and sending him crashing down onto the broken pavement as the lookout popped up, throwing the top of the crate back as he took aim at Jennings again.

"DROP IT!" Houston had his Glock trained on their suspect who spun around in surprise. "Drop it." The PI's voice was a growl as the man's gun hit the asphalt. "Ease on out of there…don't even think about running; you're not faster than a bullet." The lookout carefully exited the crate and found himself face down on the ground and his hands in cuffs. "Lee – how ya doin', bud?"

"Son of a bitch!" The cop was writhing in pain trying to apply pressure to the wound.

"Easy, pard." Matt removed the cop's tie and used it to try to control the bleeding. "Be still – you're gonna make it worse." He pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance and a patrol car before hitting Michael's number for the third time that day, telling him where they were and what had happened.

"He's on the way. Just try to stay still." He worriedly looked at the young detective's face that was quickly growing pale.

"Damn that hurts…" Lee started feeling faint.

"First time?" The PI continued to hold pressure on the wound.

"Yeah…been a cop seven years…hardly a scratch."

"You know Michael's gonna say it's because you were too close to the lightning rod." Both men laughed as the angry and bewildered lookout watched them like they were crazy.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Houston picked up Bridgette Adler and took her to the hospital where a worried Hoyt was waiting. Though obviously scared the young woman was far calmer than either the lieutenant or Matt had thought would be the case.

"He's in surgery. He's lost a lot of blood but he should be okay." Hoyt offered her a seat and went to get coffee.

"So…" Houston sat down next to the petite blonde and gave her a smile. "Lee asked me to be his best man earlier tonight. Guess that means you said yes."

"I did. Did you?" Although her hands and voice were shaky she managed a smile.

"Yep." Both took the coffee that Hoyt brought. "Have you set a date?"

"No, not yet." She took a sip. "It won't be too big: neither of us has much family." She stopped as a doctor came down the hall obviously headed for Hoyt.

"Lieutenant, he's in recovery right now. We'll move him to SICU in a couple of hours."

"So he's going to be okay?" Bridgette's hands were shaking even more.

"Should be just fine."

"Thank you." It was as the doctor turned and walked away that the tears started.

"Hey now – what's with the waterworks? He's gonna be fine." Matt eased her back into the chair.

"I know – it's silly. We talked about how something like this could happen. I just never thought…"

"You heard the doctor – nothing to worry about." Hoyt gave her a smile while patting her shoulder. "Look, is there anybody you want me to call for you?"

"No – thanks. I called my sister. She should be here soon." She looked up the hall. "There she is."

After being reassured that they would be just fine, Matt and Hoyt went to the police station. Grabbing more coffee they walked down the hallway toward the interrogation rooms. "How do you want to work it?" The PI paused a couple of doors away from where the youngest suspect was being held.

Sipping the drink thoughtfully the cop spoke. "I'll take the kid. If that doesn't work we'll swap."

"Alright." Matt went on down the hall and was about to enter the room where the lookout was being held only to turn back as there was a voice behind him.

"Thought you might want this." Gabby Giovanni handed him the file on their suspect. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Ladies first." He opened the door for her, following her inside where he pulled out a chair opposite the man who had shot Lee a short time earlier. "Would you remind him of his rights, please ma'am?" Without another word the PI propped his feet on the table and quietly began reading the file as Giovanni recited the piece. After a couple of minutes he glanced up at the shooter who was slouching in the chair looking up at the ceiling. "Clarence De Wan Shockley…says here you picked up a year's vacation a couple of years back. How'd that work for ya?" There was silence. "Guess you like it in there – looks like you're going to be headed that way again." More silence. "So where did your buddy go tonight? Bet he won't be here to post bail for ya." More silence. "'Course you're just the guard dog – all brawn and no brains." That got him a look. "There's a lot of guard dogs out there; shouldn't be a problem to replace you."

Shockley glared at him and finally spoke. "You don't know anything, man."

"Think so, huh? Well…" He got up out of the chair and walked over to the window watching the headlights of the cars passing down below. His voice began the descent to the growl, surprising Gabby. "…I know you shot a cop tonight. And a damn good one at that." Turning, the PI walked back over to the table, leaning over and putting his hands on the surface as his voice got even lower. "He was also a friend of mine." Unblinkingly he stared into Shockley's eyes, seeing what he was hoping for: the man thought Lee was dead. Matt now had a tool to work with. "Giovanni, what happens to folks like Shockley after what he's done?"

She glared at the man who now turned to look at her for the first time. "Oh, a couple of things. First they go to jail for a while until it's time for their trial – and every guard there knows what they've done and makes life hell for them. Then of course there's a trial. Unless you've got some money stashed away you'll get a wet-behind-the-ears public defender that can't find his ass with both hands and graduated at the bottom of his class. Long story short – they end up with a needle full of poison shoved in their arm."

"Guess that would be good for ole Clarence here – kinda poetic justice. He puts poison in other peoples' arms; turnabout's fair play I reckon."

"But if he were to show some remorse – maybe help us out a little bit we might be able to put in a good word and save him from the needle."

"I'm not helping you." Shockley finally spoke.

"That's fine." Houston stood behind him. "You ever been to an execution, Gabby?"

"Nope – seen a video, though. Doesn't look like much fun."

"Especially for the guest of honor. You know they say that the drugs they use actually make you feel like you're burning from the inside out."

"Is that so?"

"That's what they said on the news; but I'm kinda old fashioned. I think we should go back to hanging. It would save a lot of money – ropes can be used more than once. They used to do it in the old days." He shrugged.

"That's true. I never thought of that."

"All your crap isn't gonna change nothin'." Shockley stared at the ceiling again. "I want a lawyer."

"Alright." Matt headed for the door. "We'll find the worst one available for ya." The two walked out and waited to see how Hoyt was doing. A few minutes later he came out and shook his head.

"He hasn't said a word. What about the other guy?"

"He lawyered up – but he thinks Lee is dead." Matt gave him a crooked grin.

"Does he?" He laughed. "Wanna give the kid a shot?"

"Why not." Houston went into the room and sat down opposite of the boy. "What's your name?" Silence. "Your choice." He got quiet for a minute and propped his feet up on the table as Hoyt and Giovanni entered the adjoining room and watched through the mirror. "What're you – 16?" His voice was soft and conversational. "C'mon man – I'm just killing time until they pick you up. Telling me how old you are won't hurt anything."

"Sixteen."

"Hah! Told 'em you were. Guess I won _that_ bet." He got quiet and pulled out his keys, sorting through the ring and then choosing one to clean his nails as he yawned. "Well at least you'll be going to Juvie instead of the real jail. Although…" He yawned again and rubbed his eyes. "…there isn't really that much difference. The food sucks and you'll end up as somebody's girlfriend." Shrugging, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

Hoyt and Giovanni noticed the boy looked more worried and swallowed hard, not taking his eyes off the PI.

"Naw, not much difference at all. Too bad you don't have somebody that can post bail for you." Opening one eye he looked at the kid. "Or do you?"

"My uncle might." The voice was quiet, the worry coming through every syllable.

"Wanna call him?"

"Yeah." Houston sat back up, pulling the phone out of his pocket and slid it across to the boy who picked it up and dialed a number. "Uncle Donnie? Can you come bail me out?" He flinched as a loud voice came through the phone. "I got picked up for dealing." Once again he flinched. "'Bye." He slid the phone back over. "Thanks."

"From the sound of it I'm not sure if you should thank me or not." Houston put the phone back in his pocket. "So what's your name? They can't process you out until they process you in; and they can't do that until they know your name."

"Cedric Ballantine."

Matt put a hand out to the boy. "Nice to finally meet you, Cedric. I'm Matt Houston."

As if in a daze the boy shook his hand. "You're _him_?"

"I'm just me." Houston grinned and then got serious. "Look, you did something wrong; most of us do at one time or another. You pay your debt, straighten up, and move on with your life, okay?"

"It's not that easy."

"It can be – especially if you've got some help." He watched as the boy stared at his hands. "I can give you that help if you help me."

Ballantine looked up at him and shook his head. "They'll kill me."

"Who? Shockley?" The boy nodded. "And Z Street?"

"Z will for sure." He swallowed.

"How did you start?" The teen started shaking his head. "Cedric, look at me – do you think I'm gonna kill you?"

"No."

"Then why not let me help you? You don't have anything to lose."

They were both silent for a minute and Gabby whispered to Hoyt. "He really is good at this."

"He is…but if you're not expecting it he can scare you into a clean pair of shorts."

Back in the room Cedric was thoughtfully chewing his lower lip. "Let me get this started: you needed money – am I right?" Houston rubbed his eyes again.

"Yeah."

"You live with Uncle Donnie?" The question was answered with a nod. "What about your parents?"

"Dead – they were cooking up meth and something went wrong. It blew up."

"And Donnie wasn't happy about you moving in, huh?"

"No…he's…he hits people. It doesn't matter who – his girlfriend, or my cousin…" He shrugged.

"So I'll bet you got the _"I don't need another mouth to feed"_ speech."

"Exactly. So I tried getting a job but nobody wants to hire a 14 year old kid. So I got the only job I could. But he still isn't satisfied with what I bring in."

"Does he know what you do?"

"If he didn't before he does now."

"True. So how did you get started working for Z?"

"I was working for Mark until Z came and took over. Mark was murdered a few months ago."

"And you think Z did it?"

"Yeah. He told all of us that's what would happen to us if we screwed up."

"Just like Shane and Tino." Matt watched as the boy looked up suddenly. "That's why we were there tonight, Cedric. I'm working their cases."

"Oh…"

"If you'll help us out we can help you. We've got Shockley down the hall. He shot a cop tonight."

"Is he dead?"

"No…" Matt grinned. "But Shockley thinks he is…" That got a smile out of the boy. "But he isn't as smart as you – he doesn't want to help. 'Course he's screwed anyway – he shot a cop."

"Yeah. I don't know what I can do, though."

"You've already started. Just tell me everything you know about Z."

"I don't really know that much…but I do know he's mean."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Matt got home about 1:30AM and slipped into the bed causing CJ to wake up. "How's Lee?" She snuggled into his arms.

"He'll be okay. Just needs a little time." He yawned, pulling her closer and turning her face up to his. They shared another more involved kiss.

"Mr. Houston, if we keep on you won't get any sleep."

"Sleep is overrated, Mrs. Houston."

The alarm went off at 7:00AM and the PI groaned as he reached to turn it off. It was then that he realized CJ wasn't there with him. She walked in from the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee. "'Mornin', Cowboy."

"Uh huh – unfortunately. Thanks." He took the coffee and began sipping on it, then looked up at her as she rubbed his cheek and smiled down at him. "What?"

"Told you that you wouldn't get much sleep."

"No…" He stood and pulled her in close kissing her. "You said I wouldn't get _any_ sleep."

"So now you think you're a lawyer?" She ran her fingers through his hair.

"Nope – just married to one." He kissed her again and headed for the shower. "Kinda rubs off on ya…like poison ivy."

"I'll remember that!" Smiling she rolled her eyes and went to get dressed.

As he went down the driveway half an hour later, Houston punched the number for Hoyt's cell.

"Good morning." The lieutenant was sitting at a traffic light on his way to the hospital to check on Lee.

"How's our boy doing?"

"As far as I know he's fine. I'm on my way there now."

"Me, too. See ya." As he drove through the twists and turns of the canyon road it occurred to him that he hadn't told CJ about the engagement so he next punched her cell number.

"What did you forget?"

"Uh…well, hell. I forgot to tell you that Lee asked me to be his best man." He heard the snickers on the other end of the line. "Guess I better warn him about this part of marriage."

"Don't pout. I'm glad he finally asked her. We ought to have them over sometime."

"I'll _try_ to remember to ask him. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, too…and don't forget to stay out of trouble."

Matt was waiting for the elevator at Memorial when Michael joined him. They boarded the car along with three others. The cop yawned. "Valdez called me – Shockley is supposed to meet with his lawyer this morning and sent word that he wants to talk."

"Very interesting." They exited the elevator and were told that Jennings had been transferred to a room earlier so they re-boarded the car and went down one floor. A patrolman was stationed at the door. "How's he doin', Gene?"

"Pretty good…a little pale and a lot loopy." The young officer smiled.

"This could be fun." Houston chuckled and then knocked on the door. It was answered shortly by Bridgette.

"Hey, come on in." She was all smiles.

Lee was propped up in the bed with his left leg elevated on several pillows. "Hey LT, Houston! Come on in!"

"How are you feeling?" Hoyt stood on the right side of the bed.

"Absotively incredibus."

"Uh huh." The older cop looked to Bridgette who was doing her best not to laugh too loudly.

"Hoyt, I believe this fella is under the influence. Think we oughta have him walk a straight line?" Matt tried to keep a straight face.

"Don't think he would pass. Guess we'll just have to arrest him." Michael looked at Bridgette as Lee began to giggle.

"Well Lee – I guess you're really one of us now."

"Huh?"

The PI motioned around the room. "You've got our old room."

"Yeah he does. Listen Lee – I've got to get some work done. Do you need anything?"

"No sir, I'm fine." He had settled down and now appeared to be groggy.

"CJ's gonna come up to see ya later and she's got a little something to help you pass he time – okay bud?" Houston shook his hand.

"Great! She needs to meet Bridge."

"Alright kid, take it easy, okay?"

"Yeah." Lee's eyes started to droop as the pair turned toward the door. "Hey Houston?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me last night…I was pretty scared."

"You'd be stupid if you weren't. Get some sleep, ya slacker."

"'Kay." His eyes had barely closed before the snoring started.

"If y'all need anything let me know, hon." He gave Bridgette a hug before leaving as did Hoyt.

At the station the two hit the coffee pot before going into the lieutenant's office, Matt kicking back on the couch while Hoyt shuffled through a stack of messages. A few minutes later Luis Sanchez entered. "Lieutenant, Shockley and his lawyer will be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks."

"How is Lee doing?"

Matt spoke up. "He's high as a kite." Cracking up he stood and stretched. "He'll be alright."

"Good." The clerk went back out to his desk and the PI walked over to the window. "I wonder if Shockley found out that Lee's still very much alive?"

"Don't know – I would imagine his lawyer told him otherwise." The cop tossed the messages on the desk and leaned back in the chair. "What about Cedric Ballantine?"

"I'm going to pick him up when we get done here. If we can get him to call in Z Street we might stand a chance of nabbing him. Have you heard anything from Cheryl about the rebar?"

"Not yet." He looked out into the lobby. "Look who's here early." The pair went out and led Clarence Shockley and his public defender along with the transport officer to one of the interrogation rooms. While the officer stood outside the door, Shockley and his lawyer had a seat as Hoyt recited the Miranda Warning. "So…" Taking a seat the lieutenant looked across the table. "What did you want to talk about?"

Straightening his glasses, Public Defender James Becket spoke. "Mr. Shockley informed me this morning that Mr. Houston claimed Detective Jennings was deceased. We know that is not true."

"I never said he was dead; I said he was my friend." Matt turned away from the window to face Becket and his client.

"You _implied_ that he was deceased."

"No I didn't; since your client shot him he made the assumption that Jennings was dead."

"Cut the crap, man. Look, I …" Shockley had quickly grown tired of the verbal sparring but was shushed by his lawyer.

"My client has decided to help you with the understanding that he will receive little to no jail time."

"You know I can't guarantee that, Becket." Hoyt took a sip of coffee and stared at the lawyer. "But – I can put in a good word for him IF he actually has information that will lead to the arrest of Z Street." After conferring with his client the wormy lawyer agreed. "Okay Shockley, what have you got?"

"Z is weird. I mean, nobody has ever seen his face. He's always got a hoodie on."

"And?" The lieutenant didn't look impressed.

"He knows stuff. He showed up about a year ago but he knows about things that happened before he got here."

Houston leaned against the wall behind Michael. "Where did he come from?"

Shaking his head, Shockley turned his attention to the PI. "Don't know, but I did know better than to ask. Z's got a real bad temper – it don't take much to piss him off. If he gets mad people end up hurt."

"Or dead." Matt's voice was very quiet.

"Uh huh. He killed Mark and took over the operation."

"Mark Pendleton?" The PI began to move around the room.

"Yeah."

"Did you witness it?" Michael was taking notes and looked up as Clarence whispered something to the lawyer who nodded.

"Yeah."

"What can you tell us about it?"

"It was in a crack house just off of Crenshaw – that's where Z hangs."

Houston spoke again. "We know about the house. How did it go down?"

"I rode over with Mark. Z musta known we were there. He came in after Mark's supplier left…had a piece of rebar…" The man got visibly upset, his hands shaking. "He just…WHAM! Z was all over him – kept hitting him and when Mark fell down he just…he stuck him with the rebar…over and over and over. I tried to help but he hit me in the head. Next thing I know he's pointing my own piece at me sayin' I got a big decision to make."

"So you agreed to work for him?" Hoyt exchanged a look with Matt.

"Wasn't like I had much choice was it?"

"You said Z hangs around Crenshaw…" Houston finished the coffee.

"Yeah – he's usually at High Spirits."

"Know where he lives?"

"No. That's where he tells me to meet him most of the time."

"What about his supplier?"

"He's the same guy Mark used but I don't know his name. They call him Volt."

"Do you know where he was going last night after we started chasing you?"

"We were going to collect from the kids."

"Think you can give us names and meeting places?"

Shockley thought for a minute. "As long as you can guarantee that I'll never have to do time with him."

"I believe we can arrange that." Hoyt clicked the ink pen in his hand.

"Okay…" Clarence began.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

After getting a copy of the list of dealers that Clarence Shockley named, Houston went to his office and began researching the names on the list. Three hours later he had checked out all twenty three kids, none of which were over seventeen years old. Six of them were in foster care.

"Houston, there's a call for you on your cell." Chris had found him out on the patio and he followed her back inside, picking up the cell phone he had left on the end table.

"Houston."

"It's Cedric…" The boy sounded out of breath. "I need help. Uncle Donnie is after me."

The PI could hear a loud banging sound in the background as well as someone yelling. "Where are you?"

"The apartment."

Houston ran for the elevator. "Where are you in the apartment?"

"The closet in my room."

"Is anybody else there?" He watched as the numbers slowly changed – too slowly.

"Benita – his girlfriend. She tried to keep him off of me and he hit her, too."

"I'm on the way – just hang tight and call 911 now, okay?"

"Yeah." Cedric was gone and Matt ran from the elevator to his truck, hitting the switches for the lights and siren as he pulled out onto South Figueroa. He punched Michael's number quickly, telling him what was going on. The five mile drive through traffic was made only slightly shorter due to the emergency equipment and as he stopped in front of the apartment building he noticed that the patrol car hadn't arrived. Running up the steps he ran down the walkway and could hear yelling before he even reached the door. He turned the knob and found it to be locked, took two steps back and kicked it in, following the sounds to a bedroom at the back of the apartment.

"Let him go!" the PI grabbed the left arm of Donnie Ballantine who had both his hands around the boy's neck choking him.

"Who the hell are you?" Ballantine dropped Cedric who landed in a heap on the floor, turning his attention to Matt. Taking a swing at him with his left Ballantine missed him as the PI ducked.

"Calm down. Look, I'm…" Houston didn't get to finish his sentence. Once again he ducked as the man threw a right at him. "Damn it! Settle down!"

Ballantine rammed him into the wall with his left shoulder momentarily knocking the wind out of him. Matt countered with a knee to the mid-section sending him to his knees before backhanding him with a right, the result being that the attacker was on the floor stunned as two patrolmen entered.

"Hold it right there." Sergeant Larry Carlisle put a booted foot on Ballantine's chest until his partner rolled him onto his belly and cuffed him.

Ballantine immediately began protesting. "He broke in! Arrest him!" Glaring at the PI as Officer Tim Newhall patted him down, he continued fussing.

"Nope – he's with us. Take him down to the car, Tim." Larry turned to Houston who was kneeling beside Cedric.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…thanks." The teen was slowly regaining his color.

"What about you?" He looked at the woman.

"Yes. Thank you. I thought he was going to kill Ced." She wiped at her eyes.

"So what's the deal, Houston?" Larry had his notepad out and jotted down the information that the PI gave him. "How's Lee?"

"He'll be alright. What I'm worried about right now is these two."

Cedric got to his feet. "Benita, you've got to press charges on him this time." She began shaking her head and tears appeared once more. "He could have killed both of us." Taking the woman by the shoulders he started to cry. "This isn't how it's supposed to be; we can't keep living like this."

"We won't have anywhere to live."

"Ma'am, Cedric's right – this isn't living." Houston looked between the two. "Next time he might kill you – both of you."

Larry added to the conversation. "If you two press charges on him and Houston does too, he will probably get put away for a while. From what I saw he needs to do some serious time."

"But what will happen to Ced…and Beth?" Benita was still crying and shaking.

"That would be up to a judge to decide…but knowing who you're standing with here I'd say you don't have as much to worry about as you think you do." Larry gave them a wink.

"I'm pretty sure we can figure something out." Matt looked at the woman. "Where is Beth?"

Benita wiped her eyes again. "At a summer school program."

"Okay…" The PI looked around the apartment. "Tell you what…I'll take you two down to the station and let them get the paper work started on Donnie."

"What in the hell is going on up here now?! I told you all that if there were any more problems you were history." An older man with gnarled hands stood in the doorway surveying the damage.

"You the landlord?" Larry approached him.

"Yeah."

"Let's go outside." He led the man back out on the walkway.

"You said Beth is your cousin?"

"Uh huh – she's Benita's daughter."

"And Donnie is her father?"

"Yes." The woman was still shaking.

"That might just help." Matt gave her a smile.

Larry stepped back inside. "The old coot is gonna file eviction papers."

"That's okay – they were just leaving." Houston gave him a crooked grin.

"Yeah I kind figured it would work out like that. He's gonna board up the door."

"Why don't y'all get your stuff together?"

"We don't have anywhere to go."

"You do now – go pack." Matt patted Cedric on the back.

Within the hour they were pulling up to the station and Matt clipped on his ID and led them to the front desk where they were given visitor passes and then taken to deal with the paperwork of filing complaints against Donnie Ballantine. While they were busy the PI got on the phone and called a couple of people that he knew that owned rental property and got the family set up in a duplex not far from the apartment. Before going back out on duty, Larry and Tim stopped to chat for a minute. "So how's my little sweetheart?" The sergeant grinned as the cowboy pulled out his phone and showed him the latest pictures.

"Since I'm not sure which one you mean…" He pulled up a picture of CJ and Catey.

"There ya go – now that's two pretty ladies."

Matt switched to a picture of Tomás giving the baby a piggyback ride. Larry nodded. "You finally turned out alright, Houston. Gotta get back to it. Tell 'em hello for me."

"I'll sure do it."

After getting Benita and Cedric moved into the duplex the PI went back to the station and up to Michael's office where he plopped down on the couch.

"Busy day." Hoyt looked up from the report he was typing.

"You could say that." He kicked back on the couch and waited until Michael finished what he was working on.

"So exactly what happened?" Sitting back, he listened as his friend told him the details.

"Ballantine won't be able to make bail so he's out of the picture for the moment. I talked to Cedric while we were unloading the truck and he told me that Z is pretty organized. He keeps each of his dealers assigned to a specific area and the meets are scheduled like clockwork. Evidently he gets bent out of shape if his schedule gets out of whack."

"Guess you really pissed him off last night." The veteran cop chuckled.

"I also found out that six of the twenty three kids he has working for him are in foster care."

Blowing out a breath Hoyt shook his head. "So what do you think?"

"Well…" The PI sat up on the couch. "If we picked up all of the kids…" He walked to the window and looked down at the traffic. "…at least we would know that he couldn't get to them – but that would only last for a short time. But if we kept an eye on at least one of them we stand a chance of being able to lay hands on Z himself – which is what we really want anyway." He paused as the phone on the lieutenant's desk rang.

"Lt. Hoyt." The cop looked at Matt. "Hang on, he's here with me. I'll put you on speaker. Okay, go ahead."

Cheryl's voice came over the line. "I just wanted to let you know that the DNA on one end of the rebar came back to Mark Pendleton. It was definitely used in the murder."

"What about on the other end?"

"Still unknown, but I got Bob to compare the prints on the other end and they match the ones that were taken off of the bags of drugs that were recovered from the Washington and Baxter scenes."

"So we can almost guarantee it was Z." Houston began pacing. "Have you heard anything about the girl yet?"

"No. I ran her prints and didn't get a hit. Sorry."

"Thanks, hon." Matt went back to the window as Hoyt talked to the tech for another minute before hanging up. "Is Shockley still in lockup?"

"Pretty sure he is…" Hoyt worked the keyboard. "Uh huh. He hasn't had any takers on offering him bail."

"I'd like to talk to him again for a minute."

"Okay, I'll have him brought up here." The cop picked the phone back up.

"If you do his lawyer will probably throw a fit. I could go down to the jail and talk to him."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Hoyt replaced the phone. "You've got more than a few enemies around."

"Let's face it – no matter where I go I have enemies." Houston started for the door.

"Matt…"

The PI turned back around. "Huh?"

"Be careful down there."

"You're starting to sound an awful lot like CJ…but you damn sure ain't as pretty." He snickered as Hoyt gave him a rude gesture.

Matt left the station and went north toward what was known as the Twin Towers Jail. Located on Bauchet Street, it is the largest jail in the US, consisting of the two towers, the LA County Medical Center Jail Ward, and a medical services building - a total of 1.5 million square feet built on ten acres of land. After checking in at the main office, he was directed to wait. After nearly an hour he went back to the main office to see what the holdup was and was then told that Clarence Shockley had been killed during a fight in the cell block where he was being housed. Back out in the parking lot he called Hoyt filling him in.

"Killed in a fight? Oh give me a damn break!" He opened the top right hand drawer of the desk. "And yes I'm about to take some antacid."

"Didn't say a word about it." Sitting in his truck the PI drummed on the steering wheel. "Well…if Cedric could tell us who we should look at, that might be just as much help as Shockley could have given us."

"Yeah…" The cop started to calm down. "Okay. Let me know. I'll see about getting another officer to join us."

"You don't have to be there ya know." The PI started the truck and began the trip to Cedric's new home.

"Like hell I don't. Somebody has to keep you out of trouble."

"Wishful thinking. I'll call you when I know something."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"Y'all ready?" Houston stepped out of the elevator in the parking garage of the Houston Industries Building and pulled the keys to the van out of his pocket as he approached Hoyt and Gabby.

"Yeah…" The lieutenant had a puzzled look on his face. "This van was white."

"Uh huh." The PI kept a straight face as he unlocked it and held the front passenger door for the female detective.

"You painted it? That quick?"

"Sure. Now get in, cop." He walked around to the driver's side as Michael climbed in back.

"Why?"

"Because Z might be looking for a white van now." He backed out and went to the exit, secretly punching a button on the key chain. Giovanni opened her mouth but didn't speak as Matt winked at her.

"Black is gonna show dirt – not to mention hold heat." The lieutenant was looking at his phone.

"Black? It isn't black – it's blue. Gees, Gramps."

"Yes it…" Hoyt's jaw dropped. "I know it was black…what the hell?" He watched in surprise as right before his eyes it changed to a green. "You…damn it! You got the color change paint that those bikers were using a couple of months ago."

"Took ya long enough." Hitting the button once more it changed to white while he was sitting at a traffic light and Giovanni cracked up.

"You oughta see this guy over here – he looks like he's gonna drop his teeth!" She continued to laugh as the light turned green and Houston snickered.

"So what did Cedric say this afternoon?" Hoyt settled back in his seat.

"He didn't know for sure but he thought that we might want to try our luck on North Herbert. That's the busiest area and Z checks it every day."

"Good…unless we scared him bad enough that he won't show."

"If he wants the money he will." The PI punched the number for the ranch. "Hey Lil Mama – we're headed out to try to find Z. Everything okay there?"

"Fine. You just be extra careful. Is Michael with you?"

Hoyt spoke up. "I am."

"Gabby is with us, too."

"Hi, Mrs. Houston."

"It's CJ – and good luck trying to keep them out of trouble."

"I'll do my best." She looked back at Hoyt who rolled his eyes.

"I'll call you later, Babe. Love you."

"Love you too, Cowboy. 'Bye."

A few minutes later they pulled into the spot that Cedric had suggested and moved into the back. One by one Matt turned on the cameras and the monitors came to life. They sat and watched as a boy about Cedric's age walked up the street and within a couple of minutes he was making sales. "All out of pizzas but I do have some subs. Are you game?"

"Sure." Both cops took the offered sandwiches and continued to watch as the kid dealt more drugs.

Wiping his mouth with a napkin Michael nodded at the screen. "Some of these people sure don't look like the type to buy that mess."

"Nope." Matt took a long swig of root beer and then suddenly sat up. "There he is…" All three ditched the food and stood up ready to jump from the van. As he pulled his Glock from its holster Matt saw Z take a wad of cash from the kid and hand him a bag.

"As soon as he starts walking we go after him. Don't worry about the kid – go after Z." Hoyt looked up at Giovanni who nodded.

"Go." Matt followed Michael out of the side door on the van and ran toward Z. In a matter of seconds the dealer turned his hooded head, spying the cops, and began to run. Cutting across the street, he made for an abandoned building, Houston hot on his heels. A car squealed to a stop directly in the PI's path. Not breaking stride, Matt went up and over the hood as Gabby and Michael followed seconds later.

Z jumped for the ladder of a fire escape, dangling for a second before swinging his legs up and beginning the climb. Just a few seconds later the PI made the same jump and shimmied up the ladder closing in on the dealer who entered a broken out window on the third floor. As he got to the landing, Matt plastered his body against the brick wall and carefully took a look inside as Gabby caught up with him. Both entered and began searching the room for Z as Michael came through the window.

Matt pointed to a door that was moving slightly and all three moved toward it, the PI taking a quick glimpse out into the hallway and spotting Z to the left hand side disappearing into a stairwell. Hoyt tapped Matt and pointed up, then indicated that he himself would go down, and then pointed at Gabby and up again. All three hit the stairwell and split up. The interior of the building was nearly total darkness and as they worked their way up, Gabby and Matt moved carefully. Down below, Hoyt was encountering the same conditions, using his hearing just as much or more than his sight.

Both Giovanni and Houston heard the floor creaking as they got to the fourth floor. Easing down the hallway, one on each side they both heard a loud crash up ahead. Homing in on the sound, Gabby entered a room at the end of the hall just in time to catch a glimpse of Z climbing out onto the fire escape and going upward. Whispering she told Matt who nodded and went into the room opposite and exited out onto the fire escape on that side of the building.

Though it was dark outside there was enough light coming from a nearby street lamp that made it far easier to see than it had been in the building's interior. Reaching the roof, Matt peeked over the edge and caught sight of Z as he ran right toward him. "Freeze! Down on your belly!"

Doing a quick turnabout the suspect went back the way he had come up, only to find himself face to face with Detective Giovanni. "Hold it! Down on the ground!" She motioned with the pistol in her hand.

Z looked between the two as Houston now closed in on him. "Down!" His voice boomed. It was at that second that the dealer made a run for the back of the building only to land with a hard thud as Houston tackled him. "Hands out to your sides, Z. It's all over." There was no response. While Gabby kept him covered, the PI holstered his weapon and rolled the suspect over, removing the hood to finally reveal the face of an unconscious Z. He exchanged a surprised look with the cop. "It's a girl."

Z came to a minute later handcuffed and awaiting an ambulance. She was read her rights by Gabby who then attempted to question her but she refused to answer anything. Matt and Hoyt followed behind in the van and the PI thought about all that had happened in the last few days.

"You're awfully quiet." Michael looked over at his best friend.

"Just thinking…and wondering why she did it? I mean obviously she wanted the money. But killing the kids? That isn't usually something that a woman does, you know?"

"It happens but not as often as men killing kids." They met up with Gabby and stayed until an officer was assigned to keep watch on her. Walking back out to the van later Hoyt elbowed the PI. "You can still run when you want to." He laughed.

"Yep…guess that's because I'm not as old as you – Gramps." The two sparred with each other, Gabby following along and laughing.

The next morning, Z was released from the hospital and taken straight to the station where Michael and Matt were waiting for her along with Giovanni. Once again she was read her rights and once again she refused to make any statements. Getting fed up with the silence, Hoyt went to the door of the interrogation room and started to leave until Matt spoke up, his voice very quiet and calm.

"You know, you can play this little game of not answering any questions but if you hope to ever have the possibility of leaving jail we'll have to know who you really are. Otherwise you could just be stuck here…indefinitely." There was no answer or reply of any kind. "Suit yourself. You'd hate to be stupid."

"I'm not stupid." With flashing eyes she looked at him.

"You're sure acting it." Once again she was silent and he leaned forward in the chair. "Most women don't kill kids." The silence continued. "What happened to you?"

"When I was a kid nobody cared whether I was alive or dead. I got hit, thrown around. So when I was thirteen I meet a guy that treated me like a real person – at least for a little while. Once he got what he wanted he beat me and left me for dead. But nobody even missed me – they never looked for me. I hid until all the bruises were gone and all the while I was thinking. If I was a guy nobody would have done that to me. So I decided that I was going to become a man. All it took was a hoody and changing the way I walked and talked. But I knew things – like who his supplier was and when he would show up. So I eased back into the neighborhood and one day right after his supplier showed I walked right back into the house where he tried to kill me – and I killed him. Took over his operation with the drugs that he had paid for and even used his own people. When word got around what I had done to him nobody dared to cross me or they paid for it. Kids not selling enough or shorting me on my cash – boom – they were gone. He always said that women were too soft – so I showed him. He never even knew who it was that took him out – none of them did. But when I walked by I got _respect_. Just because they thought I was a guy. Yeah, I killed those kids and I killed Mike Pendleton. I'll kill you, too if I get the chance."

"So if you're so tough – what's your name – how old are you?" Matt looked at her unblinkingly.

"Zamara Street – and I'm seventeen."

"Z Street. I thought maybe it was short for easy street."

"Nothing is easy about the streets."

Matt leaned back in the chair. "You know, you could have tried to take a different path. What happened to you wasn't right, but you chose to follow the path that the folks who mistreated you went down. Look where it's gotten you." There was no reply and she went back to staring at the ceiling, the PI finally leaving the room along with Michael.

The cop led the way back up to the lobby. "Thanks – at least now we know who she is."

Pushing the button for the elevator the cowboy looked saddened. "But it would have been better to know who she could have been."


End file.
